Saturday, December 1, 2012

Artist of the Day: CityCop

Genres can be difficult to describe. The definition of post-hardcore has evolved over the years so much that you could pin almost any modern alternative rock band with the term and be at least half right. From Fugazi to Silverstein, the term post-hardcore has been thrown around almost as much as the word "screamo." Even the term "pop-punk" has been bastardized, as some fans fight over whether or not to define Title Fight's The Last Thing You Forget as a pop-punk or hardcore record. Yet, sometimes you discover a band who breaks all genre barriers and throws you for a loop. Ohio's own CityCop blend hearty post-hardcore with screamo, emo, and latin influences resulting in a familiar yet unique sound. Throw La Dispute, Saetia, We Were Skeletons and a little bit of Mexican Mariachi into a musical blender and it will spit out the passionate acoustic-hardcore which CityCop has cooked up.
The band released a one-sided 12" EP titled Seasons through Flannel Gurl Records earlier this year, which opens with an emotional adaption of Charles Bukowski's poem, "Bluebird." The song features a spoken-word interpretation woven over a noodling guitar riff, eventually ramping into a heavy acoustic-hardcore crescendo. The next four original songs, each based off a particular season, follow in a similar fashion sounding fresh and new; the acoustic-driven direction of hardcore is something that really hasn't been done before. As the album progresses, tempos switch from fast to slow between blast beats and drum rolls, and a few songs even feature acoustic breakdowns which never feel forced. The songwriting is a big step up from the bands first effort, The Hope In Forgiving & Giving Up Hope, and the songs feel much more articulated and mature. The band constantly churns out intricate riff after intricate riff and compliments them with honest and poetic lyrics fit for screaming along to in a small, sweaty basement. The band is currently working on their followup to Seasons, and it will be extremely interesting to hear where CityCop takes their sound next. With such broad influences and a complicated sound, CityCop push the boundaries of what to expect of contemporary post-hardcore, and they do it in a way which seems so easy. It's truly an amazing feat for such a young band.

In a scene where some post-hardcore bands have been churning out the same stale formula for years, the band seems to have found a niche sound no other band has attempted to explore. Whether you're a fan of emo, scream, post-hardcore, or even indie rock, CityCop is one band you must hear to appreciate. The band is set to play a handful of shows until next year, so be sure to check them out on their short tour this December. You can also pick up their record Seasons on one of four season-inspired colors, and you can stream all of the band's music at their Bandcamp.